Telangana News | Uttam Kumar warns action against PDS rice diversion
Telangana Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy has instructed officials to accelerate the delivery of rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to meet the January 31 deadline.
Hyderabad: Telangana Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy has instructed officials to accelerate the delivery of rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to meet the January 31 deadline.
In a video conference attended by Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, Civil Supplies Commissioner DS Chauhan, and other officials, Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy emphasized the urgency of milling custom milled rice by rice millers and delivering it promptly to the FCI.
Expressing serious concern over pending custom milling rice from the Civil Supplies Department to the FCI, Reddy highlighted the importance of meeting the deadline and the need for the Civil Supplies Corporation to supply 7.83 Lakh Metric Tonnes of rice for VANAKALAM by January 31 and 35 Lakh Metric Tonnes of rice for the Yasangi season. This requires approximately 42 Lakh Metric Tonnes of rice to be delivered by Telangana millers in the coming weeks.
Minister Reddy raised alarm over the substantial loans taken by the Civil Supplies Corporation to procure paddy, emphasizing the corporation’s financial losses due to delays in rice delivery.
He warned of severe consequences for future allocations to Telangana if there are frequent delays or an inability to deliver the prescribed quantity of CMR rice to the FCI.
Appealing to District Collectors and officials, Reddy called for prioritizing rice delivery, proposing daily targets to achieve the goal before the deadline.
He also expressed serious concerns about the poor quality of PDS rice, warning of severe action against offenders involved in recycling or diverting PDS rice for other purposes.
Addressing a complaint from ration shop owners regarding receiving less rice per bag, Reddy questioned why they should bear losses due to government negligence and instructed authorities to investigate the matter.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumar and Civil Supplies Commissioner DS Chauhan interacted with District Collectors, urging them to meet rice delivery targets to the FCI. The Chief Secretary warned of action against districts with low procurement failing to reach the set targets.
